A cake smash is a great way to celebrate your baby turning 1 and to have some unforgettable images to mark the occasion. Below are some of my top tips for a successful cake smash session.

Before the session:

Please book your session for a time in day that works with baby’s schedule. Mornings are normally better depending on nap schedule. We want to schedule the cake smash for when your baby is well rested.
Decide on an outfit in advance. It is important to know the outfit choice before your session so that the backdrop and props can coordinate with the look you are after.

Simplicity. I believe in the focus being on your baby. I will keep the backdrop simple so focus remains on your little one but I will supply a lovely vintage style cake stand, helium balloons, flags or a “I am one” banner and some pom poms. Once you know what your baby will wear we can talk about final props. You can choose from a white, light grey, pink, dark pink or blue background for your cake smash.
The cake. You will need to source this yourself. This keeps the session cost down and allows for your own decision on how much to spend and also makes it easier for food allergies. Please consider the outfit, backdrop colours and props when choosing your cake to make sure it works with the rest of the image. I personally LOVE a large cupcake for the cake smashes. Please also note that some colour icing in tones of reds, blues and greens may not look as good on babies skin so I always suggest to go for light colours for icing.
Tasting cake before. Please let your baby have cake at least 2 times in the weeks leading up to the cake smash session. This way they will be familiar with cake and more excited about it rather than being in the exploration phase. Its also a great chance for you to find out which type of cake your baby prefers, if there are any allergies or sensitivity from the icing colouring and if they even like the texture of icing. Lots of babies do not like actually like the icing texture so if you can find this out before the session, and see if they have some time to get used to different textures, it should result in a happier session.

On the day of the session:

Make sure your baby is well-rested and isn’t starving before the shoot. Hungry and tired kids = grumpy kids. Please leave room for the cake though so only a small snack before would be good.
Pre-cake photos. I will sit with your baby and get to know them and take 5 minutes to let them get used to new environment then I will get some “clean baby” photos and images of just the cake.
The cake smashing part! All cake smashes are individual. I have had babies who dig straight in and can’t get enough of the cake and then babies who are going through a clingy stage and didn’t want to leave Mum! (I will still get the photos no matter what the situation is). Most babies fall in-between, showing interest in the cake, touching and tasting but usually need some involvement from parents to dig around. Please bring some of your babies favourite dry snacks as we may use these to help get some digging photos. Some kids really don’t like mess! Don’t worry if that is your baby, I have tricks to help with this and we always get beautiful images no matter what.
This session take parental involvement, its ok if baby keeps crawling or walking away but its best that I carry on taking photos whilst parents place baby back in to the scene, this way you won’t miss potential photos. I suggest you may bring a change of top as you may also get a bit messy. Its all fun though!
The actual cake smash part of the session might go very quickly but this isn’t anything to worry about. I will know if I have enough photos or not and if not we can try for a little longer but it’s important to listen to your little one if they have had enough.

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Tips for your Cake Smash